Since it is my birthday today, I was wondering, is there any culture(s) that doesn't put the same importance on birthdays as we do?

Allergic2Life

Happy birthday! Jul 18 06, 6:15 AM

Gnomon

In Greece, the feast day of the saint whose name you bear is more important than your own birthday. So, for example, all the men called Spiros celebrate on St Spiros day. Jul 18 06, 6:18 AM

aisha99

Happy b'day! Jul 18 06, 6:30 AM

McGruff

Happy birthday, Beeker! Jul 18 06, 8:19 AM

zbeckabee

Happy Birthday Beeker!!! Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate their own birthdays, because it is considered a glorification of the individual rather than the Creator. http://www.religioustolerance.org/witness3.htm Jul 18 06, 8:51 AM

helenasykes

happy birthday beeker! typical, i think i can answer a question a start reading the answers people have already given. I get to the bottom answer only to find that zbeck has already said it! zbeck - you're just too clever! Jul 18 06, 12:08 PM

helenasykes

After a lot of research i have found another! Rural Malawians do not celebrate birthdays as people do in many other countries. Most babies are delivered at home and individuals often do not have official birth certificates. Parents associate the birth of a child with a particular season or important event, although many do not know the specific date. So clever of ....... me?...... thanks zbeck! Jul 18 06, 2:34 PM

Arpeggionist

You'll recall that the celebration of birthdays even in the West is a relatively recent phenomenon. In Shakespeare's time people didn't celebrate them in England. In "Romeo and Juliet" the author writes a scene where several characters struggle to figure out just how old Juliet is, and even then they can only narrow the answer down to within a couple weeks or so. Jul 18 06, 4:07 PM